Pittsburgh native and author of The Turnpike Rivalry: The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns writes on “The Pirates’ First Great Rivalry: The Dreyfuss-McGraw Feud” for the Pittsburgh Quarterly.

“Sports rivalries usually develop between teams that are competing with each other for league championships. For the Pirates, it was the Reds in the 1970s, the Phillies in the 1980s, and the Braves in the 1990s. Once the teams are no longer contenders, the rivalry fades away.

The most intense and bitter rivalry for the Pirates began in the first decade of the 20th century and lasted for over two decades. While it involved teams that competed season after season for the National League championship, it was fueled by an improbable personal feud between an owner and a manager….”

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